


Shared Life

by Shinocchi



Category: DRAMAtical Murder (Visual Novel), DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Character Study, Domestic Bliss, Established Relationship, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-23 16:17:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6122203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinocchi/pseuds/Shinocchi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mink opening up his past to Aoba presents a whole new path in front of them.<br/>It wasn't an easy task trying to understand something that was once so very different from what you believed it to be.<br/>But for Aoba, it was a whole new opportunity to learn Mink, and to relearn things about himself.</p>
<p>[Post Drama CD]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shared Life

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift fic for [Cyna](http://paper-bag-with-blush.tumblr.com/)! Happy birthday, Cyna! Thank you so much for being such a huge sweetheart to me and thank you so much for all the kindness and nice things you have done for me.
> 
> This is nothing much but I hope you'd like it nevertheless _(:3/L
> 
> I hope you had a great, great day because you deserve it so, so much! <333
> 
>  
> 
> Aside that, this is probably the biggest MinAo fic I've ever written and kudos & comments are much appreciated as usual! There are a lot of references to canon stories so if you need it: [Birthday SS](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiTrL65zJnLAhVKbY4KHegEA4wQFggdMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmemera.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F32354840550&usg=AFQjCNFLbaDpS9uxVpkd0ZSxZsaSQ2wuYw&sig2=OkxjPygjDbDZoUAHJA-Fnw), [Summer SS](http://memera.tumblr.com/post/32354840550>Birthday%20SS</a>,%20<a%20href=).  
> I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! :D

Life, rebirth, death – three words that was the reason for their acquaintance, three words that’d separated them, and ultimately, reunited them, bonding them in the process. If Aoba was to look back to where he was a year back, he’d never ever dreamed to find himself in this very place, surrounded by forest with occasional solitude, but also warmth and contentment that overwhelmed everything else.

It was the only thing that mattered to him anyway – now that he was submerged in this calm yet heartfelt peacefulness that was Mink.

Being attached to Mink was like a roller-coaster ride of its own. Knowing a person was one thing, being committed was another. For the past one year, it was a constant mutual exchange of acknowledgement, of understanding and of tolerance. It wasn’t something Aoba had expected to experience when he made a decision to locate Mink, just so he could meet him again. It wasn’t his plan to situate himself in this position now either; truth be told, he never had a plan in the first place. The voice in his head was a devoted reminder for him, the way his heart clenched when he thought about all the incidents he’d experienced with Mink equally so. He’d had his doubts, sure; it was simply natural. But the moment he saw the familiar body shape and the familiar locks of hair swaying with the rhythm of the wind, there was this crushing surge of emotions from within him that had him incessantly throwing the ‘Are you sure?’ question back at himself. And the second he locked gaze with an unfamiliar pair of golden eyes, he found himself hearing his own heartbeats in his ears; every one of his nerves pumped in an inhuman way, his emotions flooding his rationale thoughts with unexplainable tension of its own.

_Ah, I’ve finally found you_.

\-- was his instant thought. And in that instance, he knew that he’d made the right decision after all.

One that was life-changing.

Everything in his life took a huge turn, flipping his usual pace around and swirling him into a whirlpool of what he suspected to be like an entirely new world. The place he was in portrayed a challenge of its own, more so when both language and culture were a direct contrast to his. But having to meet challenges was nothing bad; it gave him a new perspective, one that made him feel closer to Mink. He had his own self-conscious to deal with while he tried to adapt to the new place, but both Ren and Rulacane had been the biggest support he could obtain, something he was genuinely grateful for.

Dealing with Mink was, well, yet _another_ challenge he had to face. Technically, though, he wouldn’t call it a challenge; every new discovery of Mink would effortlessly inject a strong dose of excitement within him, and every new hint of emotions on Mink’s face would leave him in a state of bliss for the rest of the day. These were tiny yet significant realizations he found himself addicted to across time the time they’d stayed together. He’d noticed that Mink would wear glasses when he read, that a mug of hot coffee would accompany him while he did. And he’d noticed that Mink would wait for him to sleep – him being awake every time Aoba was to knock on his door before he headed to bed a good evidence of it – before he did and that he’d be the first to wake in the morning, even when Aoba tried to change this routine, wanting to be the one who’d wake earlier than Mink instead.

There were a lot of things that he’d yet to find courage to talk to Mink, but the determination was strong and he knew that time was all he needed to open himself up better to Mink, and to open Mink up at the same time.

He looked like a tough character to understand at first, what with his stoic expression and little to none reaction. But across time, Aoba realized that he’d transcended from his initial dismissive self to one of a gentler, more concerned self, telling Aoba loud and clear that perhaps Mink, like him, needed time too – just so he could adapt himself back into who he really was.

 

* * *

 

When he woke up, Mink was already in the living room, his usual mug of coffee on the table with Ruracane perched on his shoulder and a book on his lap. Taking a quick glance at the kitchen, Aoba made watchful steps towards Mink, hands hugging Ren.

“Mink, good morning.”

Mink turned, giving him a hasty backward glance, complemented by a small, calm smile before he responded, “Morning.”

“I’ll make breakfast now,” Aoba said, putting Ren by Mink’s side and rolling up his sleeves.

“Wait,” Mink said, standing up while Aoba was about to turn towards the kitchen. “Let me help.”

“Huh?” Taken by surprise, Aoba stared, wide-eyed, as Mink walked pass him and right to the oven, where Aoba – finally – noticed that something was cooking inside.

“What’s that?” he asked. From the vague outline he could make out was something that looked oddly like a pie. But it was way too out-of-the-world for Mink to be baking a pie, even more so at this hour, that he pushed the thought to the back of his mind, until Mink opened the over and proved his suspicions right that he found himself gaping at it.

“This is for dinner,” Mink explained, straightening himself up then attending to Aoba. “We will have something simple for breakfast.”

“S-sure.”

Not much discourses were exchanged while they worked on breakfast. Their breakfast was always modest, just enough for how much they needed. And after that, they’d head off to work, separating paths for the rest of the day until they met again in the late evening. Today, however, was a shift of routine. Aoba had taken a day off from work, wanting to explore an area he’d never had the chance to – or so that was what he’d told Mink. Mink was cagy at first, but the glint of determination in Aoba’s eyes told him that Aoba must have a reason for whatever he _really_ wanted to do. So, despite being hesitant, he nodded at the end of the day, having Aoba to push him to work when he expressed the intention to take a day off too just so he could help Aoba and headed off to work after they were done with breakfast.

It’d been a long while since he ventured into the forest by himself. But as he swung a bag over his shoulder, then giving Ren a quick pat on his head and walked out of the house, he told – or rather, reaffirmed – himself that this was a step he needed to take. He didn’t want to depend too much on Mink, and having Mink to worry about him more than he already did was the last thing he wanted. He was starting to familiarize himself with the forest anyway. If he was to take the right measurement, he wouldn’t have a problem finding his way back. With Ren throttling by his side, he took a swift glance over his shoulder, at their small cabin, then letting out a relieved smile before he took hurried steps towards the direction of the forest.

“Aoba, are you sure you’re feeling better now?” Ren asked out of concern. It’d only been a few days since he recovered from the sickness that was what seemed to be due to a haunt from the past.

“Much better,” Aoba said, steps vigilant as he heard the sound of crunching dried leaves under his steps while he walked. “Mink was right, I guess.”

“About the dream?”

“Yeah…” Aoba trailed, looking around. He’d reached the place where Mink’s house once stood, feeling a weird spasm from beneath his chest before he moved away, walking once again. “I’m glad it happened.”

“Why is that so?”

“Hmm? Ah, well, I mean, there must be a reason for Mink’s family spirits to approach me, right? I mean… could it be that they think I’m the right messenger for Mink?”

“Aoba certainly is,” Ren responded almost instantly, eliciting a blush out of Aoba.

“Ah, haha, yeah, I know, it’s just…” he paused, halting his steps at the same time, gaze put far beyond a distance, in a direction he knew was where he wanted to head to. “…it feels kind of surreal to know that we have come this far. I wouldn’t have guessed Mink to be who he is now. But,” stopping just to lift a smile, he straightened up, wiping the sweat off his forehead and started walking again. “I’m glad he is who he is today.”

He wouldn’t say that Mink had changed; it was more like, he had slowly but surely turning back into who he once was. He still remembered his first impression of Mink – being this emotionless person, aggressive, and one that could be incredibly unreasonable. And while he resided with Mink now, he found how he could be so gentle, so concerned and so dedicated to everything he was to do all at the same time. Mink wasn’t a person with words, but his actions, his gestures, and everything he did had been a solid evidence of how naturally kind a person he was. With that thought, Aoba reached to his hair, instinctively twirling the ornaments Mink had made for him as a smile lifted on the corner of his lips.

One year ago, he’d never thought that Mink would turn out to be who he was today.

And now, he’d come to understand the reason behind his persistence to find Mink from a year ago; the very reason now lived right by his side.

“We’re here,” Aoba said, stopping at a clearance as he looked around.

The place was the same as he remembered it to be. Mink had only brought him here once, out of his very own surprise. But it was one place that he held faithfully to his heart ever since Mink brought him here. Simply because it was important to Mink that Mink had decided to bring him here; that realization itself did things to Aoba.

“Aoba, what are we doing here?” Ren asked, looking up to see Aoba still glancing around the space.

Aoba, however, merely smiled as he put his bag down, then taking careful steps towards where Mink’s tribe rested.

“I thought I should say a proper greeting.”

With that said, he put his weight down, crouching and coming to the same eye level where enough details could be captured.

“Thank you very much for bringing Mink into this world. And thank you for entrusting him to me.”

There was a long silence before Aoba took a deep breath, closing his eyes, and exhaled profoundly.

“I’ll take good care of him.”

It was a fleeting visit, but it lifted a heavy stone off Aoba’s chest. He let his words linger in his ears for a few more minutes before he swayed his bag over his shoulder again, walking back where he came from, feeling much relieved than before.

 

There were a lot of beliefs about how things like souls and spirits worked. Aoba never looked too much into them; he’d never believed in these intangible philosophies in the first place. But being with Mink and positioning himself right in this very culture had opened his eyes to things that he once deemed impossible. Being devoted to Mink was a solid evidence of how something so impossible could be so impossibly possible now, and learning more about his culture with every minute he’d passed with Mink exposed him to a world he never thought he’d belong to.

After making his way out of the forest, he turned a direction, heading into town. The sun was properly up now, a quick check on his Coil told him that it was mid-afternoon. For some reason, he found his stomach surprisingly obedient, especially knowing that the familiar grumbling had always been a better time-teller for him. As soon as he stepped into town, he took natural steps towards a corner of the place where he found an old lady sitting outside of what seemed to be an ornament shop.

“Good afternoon!” he greeted, upbeat grin spread on his face.

The old lady looked up, took a few seconds to recognize who was greeting her then returning Aoba’s beam with a tender smile of her own.

“It’s you. Good afternoon.”

Acknowledging the return of gesture, Aoba sat beside her and was about to say something when the old lady interrupted him.

“The thing you asked for is ready.”

“Huh? Oh, wow, I didn’t expect it to be ready so fast.”

“It took a while but I was blessed with enough luck to find what I needed to make it.”

Language barrier was once a hard-hitting challenge for Aoba. But now, he could conduct simple communication with the locals like this, making interaction a lot more fluent.

“Thank you so much and I apologize for the troubles you had to go through,” Aoba said, scratching the back of his head.

“It’s no trouble,” the old lady smiled, standing up and heading towards the opened door of her shop. “Especially for you. Please wait for a moment.”

Aoba would wait as long as he needed. This very idea only occurred to him after that momentous day when both of them made their feelings clear to each other. Mink had made his decision, and he wanted to support him. There was nothing spendthrift he could do for Mink and he understood that humble happiness was all Mink yearned for. But for all the consideration Mink had thought out for him, he thought it was just fair for him to return the favour. In his own way.

He stared warily when the old lady made her appearance in front of him again, holding what seemed to be a small pouch.

“Here you go.” She handed the pouch to Aoba, which Aoba put cautiously in his palm. “Go on, open it.”

Aoba did as he was told. Pulling the string sealing the pouch opened, he turned it upside down, feeling a weight falling into his palm and swallowed down his throat, eyes widening when he finally saw that very item in his own hand.

“Wow…”

The stone, loyal to its name, looked like a miniature moon, magically shimmered with a thin layer of iridescent blue over its colourless body colour. It felt heavy in his hand, and for a second, he thought he felt a vague sensation of warmth before he shook his head, just to make sure that he wasn’t hallucinating.

“This is amazing,” he spoke his thoughts out loud, hand shivered ever so slightly when he lifted the stone up, having his surface to reflect the sunlight.

“Thank you so much,” he said, with a lack of better words.

“You’re welcome,” the old lady beamed. “I hope whoever you’re gifting to would like it.”

“I hope so too,” Aoba grinned insipidly.

He’d never know if _he_ would like it, but he thought this was the least he could do for him – something that was the accumulation of their shared memories.

 

And he didn’t know what to do with the pie in the oven as well. It was already well-cooked when he returned, but he wasn’t the one who’d prepared it, so he wasn’t entirely sure what he should do with it. He didn’t even get a chance to ask Mink the reason to why he’d prepared this – an anniversary? Special day? – but he thought he should probably leave it alone until Mink was back. Mink always had his own reasons for the things he did anyway; this mustn’t be an exception.

While he was done with preparing dinner, he looked at the time, then outside of the window, just to find a hint of Mink returning. There wasn’t any. Letting his shoulders loose, he took his apron off, settled it neatly on the couch before he walked into the room and carried a thick blanket out of it.

“Aoba, where are you going?” Ren hurried by his side, following Aoba towards the door.

“I’ll wait for Mink outside.”

“It’s cold.”

“That’s why I have this,” Aoba chuckled, lifting the blanket a little higher to emphasize his point.

He could’ve waited inside, but he didn’t like the solitude of an empty house anyway. Sitting outside on the bench, staring into a space of oblivion while he wrapped himself in thick blanket sounded way better of an idea than listening to nothing in the cabin space. Even though it was summer at this point in time, the night weather was still horrendously cold; the wind blew harshly against his face, stabbing it right into the bones. Despite being enveloped in the warmth of his blanket, Aoba could still feel his nose freezing up, urging him to hide half of his face behind the thick material while he listened to the gushing of wind by his ears.

It took a long while when he finally spotted a shadow emerging from the depth of the woods, growing bigger with every passing second. Grin broadening, he sat up, pulling his face out of the blanket and letting out a perky smile when he made out who the shadow was.

“Mink!” he called out. The shadow halted for a while, then hastening its steps towards Aoba, only getting faster the nearer he got to him.

“What are you doing here?” was Mink’s first words upon coming face-to-face with Aoba.

“I’m waiting for you,” Aoba responded bouncily. “Welcome home!”

“I’m home,” Mink replied simply. “C’mon.”

If he wasn’t warm before, the way Mink wrapped him into a one-hand hug certainly made him feel so.

It turned out that the pie was _really_ meant for dinner. When Mink spotted it, a thin frown appeared in between his eyebrows. And before Aoba could say anything, he strolled towards the oven, taking the pie out and putting it on the table, alongside other food.

It made Aoba feel just slightly bad until when Mink cut a nice piece of that very pie for him, placing it on his plate that he got distracted by the smell of it.

“Do you want to try it?” Mink seemed to have noticed his hesitance, his question a good proof of it.

“O-oh, yes! Of course! Erm, thank you for the meal.” A quick prayer later, he scooped one spoonful of it and brought it to his mouth.

“How is it?”

He had to make a tough swallow to answer Mink’s question. “It’s great!”

“I see.”

Mink never asked him for more comments but he was sure that his expression had given him out. Like how Mink always liked to emphasize, it wasn’t hard to figure Aoba out thanks to how expressive he was, putting them in an ironic, contrasting position. But perhaps that was what Mink needed as well – someone to tell him that something as simple as baking a pie could be a remarkable experience of its own.

 

By the time they were done with shower, all prepared for their after-dinner routine, it was already nine at night. While Mink sat on the couch with a mug of coffee and a book in his hand as usual, Aoba peeked from his room, fingers shivering as he traced the outline of the box that contained the one thing that he wanted to give Mink. Just like how Mink had decided to make a pie out of nowhere, it wasn’t a significant day, wasn’t anything special; it was an abrupt decision. But it was something Aoba had wanted to give Mink ever since he’d opened his past up to him. Understanding Mink allowed him to understand himself at the same time, also allowing him to have a better idea of what else he could do for Mink, even though Mink had specifically said that Aoba’s existence alone was the best gift he could ever obtain.

At long last, he took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself down before he finally walked out of the door, the small box gripped firmly in his hand.

Mink only gave him a short-lived sideway stare when he sat beside him, inching closer with apparent wariness. His mind was in a state of mess, words shattering all over the place when Mink called out to him, almost causing him to shriek out loud.

“What’s the matter?”

“H-huh? Ah, ah… Nothing.”

“Just spell it out if you have something to say.”

Mink _always_ read him too well; a bit too well for his liking.

“Well…” he started, the heat rising to the tips of his ears. “I’m sorry for disturbing your reading time.”

“It’s fine,” Mink said, putting the book by his side and turning to focus on Aoba. “So, what is it that you want to talk to me?”

“Erm,” Aoba stuttered. “I have something I want to give you.”

Mink seemed just a tad surprised but he was quick to return to his composure. To escape from any further mortification, Aoba quickly averted his gaze, looking to his side and dragging out the box, eyes fixed on it as he pushed it towards Mink’s direction.

“What’s this?” Mink asked.

“It’s nothing much.”

“…that’s for me to decide.” With that, Mink took the box off Aoba’s hand, then giving Aoba a five-second stare before he flicked the box cover open, revealing the blue-coloured stone.

“It’s really… nothing much,” Aoba emphasized again, voice still small, head still low.

“Moonstone,” Mink mumbled. Aoba couldn’t quite make out his expression from the angle he was looking at but he could unmistakably hear the very ambiguous hitch of breath from Mink when he opened the box, the gentle pat on his head that came after finally had him looking up at him.

“Thank you, Aoba.”

He thought he’d forgotten how to breathe. Mink’s phrases were rare and simply because of that that every one of them weighted preciously for him, especially one that consisted of his name and a word of appreciation.

“It’s nothing,” he repeated, lacking for a better word to say.

Mink didn’t respond. Instead, he sneaked a hand towards Aoba and wrapped his hand around his waist, hauling him closer in the process.

“You don’t need to do anything,” he said, tone truncated yet impactful.

“I’m sorry if this cause you any problems.”

“It’s not that,” Mink said almost immediately. Lifting a hand to stroke Aoba’s cheek, Aoba was surprised to see that a small curve had formed on the corners of his lips. “I think it should belong to you instead.”

“Huh?”

“’Moonstone’, have you figured out the meaning to it?”

Aoba did. And that was precisely the reason why he decided to give Mink this stone. But it confused him as to why Mink said it should belong to him instead.

“You already gave me an Ice Crystal,” Mink said, not a question, but a statement. “That’s more than enough.”

“Mink…”

His hand slipped from his face to his neck. The last thing Aoba saw was Mink putting the stone into his pocket before he closed his eyes, completely distracted by the affectionate kiss he felt on his neck. Mink’s actions were always gentle, even more so when it came to their lovemaking; a contrast to how Aoba remembered him to be before they ended up together. Every touch of his felt calculated yet genuine, and every skin-against-skin contact made him feel as if he was leaving stinging traces on him, a sort of prevailing warmth that reached intensely into his body. His skin seared where he was touched, his mind wiped clean when he felt Mink’s sweltering breath. Every passing second felt too slow to accommodate to the petrifying rate of heat rising from within him.

“If you have studied about the meaning of a Moonstone, then you would’ve understood what it could do now, especially at times like this.”

His words barely reached him. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the full moon outside of the window, it’s strong light illuminating into the room and creating shadows on every object it hit.

He’d love to consider Mink’s words more but Mink didn’t seem like he was expecting an answer anyway. While he attempted to recollect his composure, he was being lifted up, carried bridal-style, and into a room where he assumed was Mink’s from the faint scent of cinnamon encompassing his senses.

“Mink…” he called out after being gently placed on the bed, unfocused gaze flicking in and out of his vision and all that he could make out at that very moment was Mink’s outline and a pair of strong yet calm golden-coloured eyes that penetrated strappingly into his own gaze. Once he’d gotten used to seeing Mink’s original eye colour, it’d occurred to him on how spellbinding they could be. His pair of eyes were indifferent before; but now, there were signs of warmth and rawness behind them, and when he looked at Aoba, Aoba could physically feel how much he wanted him and that alone was giving him all the reactions his body deemed necessary, even without needing Mink to do much for him.

“Moonstone reminds me of you,” Mink said as he helped Aoba out of his clothing.

“Is it because of the colour?” Aoba chuckled, unbuttoning a few of Mink’s shirt at the same time.

“That, and also,” with a pause, he leaned closer, kissing Aoba on the forehead before he continued. “how _you_ are the one who’s balancing my inner state as well.”

It took Aoba a few seconds to understand what Mink was implying while the other got himself off his clothes. And when he did, he felt the heat rise to his face, suddenly feeling a huge impulse to hide his face from Mink’s view. Did he just buy something for Mink that was a direct representation of _himself_?

His mortification was ephemeral, though. In the next second, he found his breath being taken away, their lips locked with each other and Aoba had to grip onto his shoulder to contain the loud moan that had almost slipped from his lips. He didn’t need to do much when they pressed their lips together; Mink would know where to suck and where to lick to have tears gathering in Aoba’s eyes. He knew how to give them a few seconds of breathing time just so they could return and devour each other’s mouth again. It astounded Aoba on how quick Mink was to grasp these tiny details – things that one could only notice when they explored out of their own initiative. But yet, he didn’t want Mink to be the only one doing all the job. Lovemaking was a two-person thing and _he_ wanted to do something too. With that thought, he slid his hand from Mink’s shoulder to his broad chest, feeling the coarse skin against his palm before he rested his hands on Mink’s nipples, opening his eyes for a cagy, confirmative stare then nudging lightly on them.

All Mink did was giving out a low growl before he focused on kissing Aoba again, tongue tracing a wet trail along Aoba’s neck and ultimately giving his fair skin a hard suck that was sure to leave marks.

“Ah…” Aoba released an innate moan. Mink’s hand felt warm on his skin, his palm leaving a tingling sensation on Aoba’s chest when he caressed it, slowly yet gently, as if he was trying to memorize every inch of Aoba’s body. Drowned in a weird sense of ecstasy, all Aoba could do was immerse himself in this intoxicating scent, feeling the way Mink _worshipped_ his body. It was an agonizing thought of its own, and sometimes, he’d tend to remember how it was when they first met, when things weren’t so pleasant. But those were the past; those weren’t meant to be forgotten, similarly to how Mink’s past was not supposed to be forgotten.

It wasn’t the past that mattered now. Things weren’t the same as how it used to be anymore, and for all Aoba knew, the Mink he’d seen for all his life was probably the truest to himself now, which was why this particular moment was so important to him; that he could touch Mink like how he never did before, and how he could feel everything of him and have him feel everything of him all at the same time.

“Mink…” he called, a suppressed moan escaped his lips when Mink gripped a whole of his dick and started rubbing it.

“What is it?” Mink asked through breathless words.

“I love you.” The words weren’t intentional, but his fogged mind seemed to have a better way to help him express himself than he did.

How many times did he need to tell Mink how much he loved him until it was really enough? And how much did he need to lose himself in this spur moment of heat just so Mink could truly understand that he was ready to accept everything of his, including his past?

He never knew the answer; probably he’d never know the answer. But did those matter? Would Mink disappear from his side again if he wasn’t able to say enough?

As if responding to his inner thoughts, Mink reached out for the cream Aoba was now familiar with, the pleasant scent clouding his thoughts with a thicker layer of need.

One finger pulled bubbled moans out of him; two made him arch his back, dick hitting Mink’s abdomen before he sank his nails into the other’s skin, completely losing control of his own strength. His body was familiar with Mink; it reacted naturally to Mink’s touch, as if welcoming the touch of an old friend. And everything Mink was to do to him only coated more layers of want that had him ultimately throwing a pair of eyes filled with need at Mink, clearly expressing his intention.

“Is it okay?” Mink asked. His voice was low, dangerously enticing and it sounded like nothing more than a sweet seduction to Aoba. After Aoba gave him a few feverish nods, Mink pulled his fingers out of him, positioning his dick against Aoba’s hole and giving Aoba one gentle kiss on the cheek before he pushed himself in, spreading Aoba’s inside apart.

“Ah...” All he could manage were unsuppressed moans, and all he could feel was Mink’s hot, throbbing dick, buried deep inside him and filling him to the hilt.

“Are you okay?”

He could feel Mink’s hand on his face, palm cupping his cheek as he opened his eyes, hitching a breath upon noticing how _gentle_ Mink looked like at this very moment. He couldn’t quite believe he was experiencing all of these now – he couldn’t quite believe that Mink could look so _tender_ and acting so _concerned_ towards him.

But yet, this _was_ Mink; the person who he’d desperately searched for and the person whom he’d trusted even though he’d left without a single explanation a year back.

“I’m fine,” he forced his words out of his mouth. “You can move faster.”

And he really meant it. By now, all he ever wanted was to feel _more_ of Mink, _more_ of this gentleness, and _more_ of this sweltering passion that was earnest and _his_.

“Mink, Mink!” Would his words reach Mink this time, like how it did when he told him that he was perfectly alive? Would Mink see him across the borders of life and death and look at him, calling his name as he meant it if he was to feel him as much as he could?

Would Mink believe that he was truly alive if he was to feel enough of Aoba’s heat coursing through his own body?

His thoughts were in a jumbled mess but his body was honest to every one of Mink’s touch. It was surreal; every decision he’d made was.

And while he came after a few aggressive, pointed thrusts, he vaguely saw a hint of blue flicking past his vision, reminded him of the Moonstone, and finally allowing him to understand why Mink told him that it reminded him of Aoba instead.

 

He was surprised to see Mink outside of the house when he woke up the next morning, sitting on a bench and tampering with what looked like his usual tools for ornaments-making.

“Good morning, Mink,” he greeted, the pain soared to his hips when he did as much as walk.

“Morning,” Mink responded without looking up.

“What are you doing?” Aoba asked, curious. He was about to sit when he halted, noticing what was by Mink’s side.

“You need to figure out a way to wear this,” Mink said, eyes momentarily flounced towards where the box of Moonstone was placed.

A closer look told him that Mink was making an ornament, his action delicate yet accurate.

“For me?” Aoba asked, albeit knowing how insensible he sounded.

“Yeah,” Mink replied.

“W-why?”

Mink stopped then, turning around to meet Aoba’s eyes. “I said it before, it reminds me of you. And also,” he elevated a smile, one that never failed to make Aoba’s heart skip a beat. “it’s a reminder to myself too.”

“Huh?”

“Do you remember what you told me last summer?”

“Ah…” Aoba hummed, searching for his memory, only brightening his eyes when he found what he was looking for. “The one when we spent time on the mountain in yukatas?”

“Yeah.”

“What about that?”

“You told me that you wanted to search for a moon,” Mink explained. He seemed to have completed his job. Stretching a hand to retrieve the stone, he continued. “I don’t plan to break that promise.”

So he remembered after all. It was, undoubtedly, Aoba’s wish to find the moon that he’d only witnessed once when he was young. But above all, it was the journey of finding it, with _Mink_ , that was what made it all the more meaningful. It made him happy knowing that Mink hadn’t forgotten about it as well.

“Here.” Pulled back from his thoughts, he budged closer, where Mink entwined the skilfully prepared string of ornament around his neck, the beautiful moonstone hanging from the end of it and landing flawlessly on his fair skin.

“Looks good on you,” Mink complimented.

“Thank you.” He still had difficulties responding to Mink’s genuine praises but he lifted a perky grin nonetheless.

“It’s nothing.”

“That’s for me to decide,” he grinned playfully. “Oh yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask…”

“Hm? What is it?”

“The pie from yesterday…” It’d slipped his mind, being overloaded with his big plan after. But now that everything had calmed down, the question he had from yesterday returned to him, escaping his mouth before he could stop it.

“What’s with that?”

“Why did you make it?”

“Did it not taste well?”

“That’s not it,” he frantically explained. “I just thought… it was pretty random.”

Mink fell silent for a few seconds, seemingly considering his question. When he spoke in the next minute, he sounded calmer, as if a big burden was lifted off his shoulders.

“I thought it’s finally time to stop escaping from the past.” Lifting a hand to caress Aoba’s hair, he gazed, eyes fixed on Aoba’s pair of light-brown eyes. “Perhaps I didn’t install an oven in the kitchen unconsciously, perhaps it’s for me to remember my mother and my sister. And you’re right. I should embrace my past, not let it haunt me, and not let it haunt you too.”

So that was it – as simple as that. As Aoba leaned into his touch, he caught sight of the Ice Crystal he’d given him for his birthday, gleaming faintly under the early morning sun. And he knew that Mink was looking at his own Moonstone as well.

Or perhaps, he was staring at something that Aoba couldn’t see – something that was not a past that was once his burden, but a present, a future, and also a new life that was Aoba.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

>  **Blue, or Cat-Eye Moonstone** :  
> || Promotes clarity of mind and inner vision, keeping one focused with a meditated or altered state of awareness.  
> || Particularly helpful for balancing the yin and yang of a person's inner state.  
> || Is also the stone of love and erocticism for the stimulation of carnal desire.  
> || If worn during a full moon, it is said that the stone could help in harmonizing the body into a lunar cycle.


End file.
